3 billion people worldwide watched the opening ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Olympics on Friday, Feb 7. Another 40,000 watched the ceremony at the Fisht stadium in the Sochi Olympic Park, the organizers said in a statement.

The three-hour show, which offered an epic overview of Russian history in 18 parts, utilized a staff of 12,000.

The audience of the opening ceremony at the previous Winter Games in Vancouver was put by organizers at 1 billion. Between 1 billion and 4 billion people, by various estimates, watched the opening of 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

The Sochi Olympics run February 7 to 23. About 3,500 athletes will compete for 98 medals in 15 disciplines.